Alex Maragos

Alex Maragos, a rookie reporter and news anchor from West Lafayette, Indiana, is coming home to Chicago to join NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5.

Frank Whittaker, station manager and vice president of news at NBC 5, announced Tuesday that Maragos has been hired as a general assignment reporter, starting August 11. “We’re excited to bring Alex back to his home town,” Whittaker said in a statement. “His experience in Chicago and his passion for breaking news will be a great addition to our news team.”

Since 2013 Maragos has been a reporter and anchor of the morning and noon newscasts at WLFI-TV, the CBS affiliate in West Lafayette, which is ranked as the country’s No. 187 media market by Nielsen Co. Chicago is No. 3.

The extraordinary 184-market jump was engineered by Maragos’ agent, Chicago attorney Joel Weisman.

A Chicago native and 2013 graduate of Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, Maragos previously held internships at Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Cumulus Media news/talk WLS AM 890, and ESPN Radio sports talk WMVP AM 1000.